In the ever-evolving world of creative agencies, standing out in a new market requires more than just strong design; it demands authenticity, collaboration, and a clear voice. D8 Amsterdam, led by Managing Director Rosie Street, has successfully carved out its place in the European creative scene by combining international experience with a distinctly human approach to storytelling and brand building.
With roots in Scotland and a growing presence across Amsterdam, Glasgow, and the Asia Pacific region, D8 Amsterdam has spent the past five years establishing itself among leading creative agencies in the Netherlands. By focusing on meaningful client partnerships, high-quality design, and emotionally resonant work, the agency continues to attract major brands while staying true to its core philosophy: great work starts with great people and genuine connections.
How was your company born and where are you based?
Our company was born from our desire to continue working with international clients and build our profile in Europe. Our Scottish HQ has been operating for 27 years now, and our Dutch office for just over five. We have a team of 11 here in Amsterdam, and over 50 in Glasgow. We also have four colleagues working in the Gold Coast to serve Asia Pacific and our small studio has been active there for a couple of years too. The general principle by which we all operate is, find good people, and do good work for them. That’s the same wherever we are in the world.
What was the biggest challenge to the growth of your company?
Entering a new market and being completely unknown. We are a collection of hard working, humble people, and so suddenly to have a requirement to shout about ourselves, elbow ourselves into new conversations and try and find our place in the Amsterdam scene has been a challenge. Similarly, ensuring that we have the very best people to play a huge part in the growth and building of something completely new.
But now, a full 5 years later, our Amsterdam presence has been solidified with a team of incredible creatives and a wonderful selection of industry-pushing clients, including Carlton Collection, ECCO, Cinekid and NPO. So, those challenges have all been worth it.
Which was the first huge success that you can remember?
Getting the opportunity in our first year to work with Amsterdam Pride to deliver the concept, design and production of all citywide branding to celebrate the festival. To have our work brightening up the city in the run up and throughout the festival was an incredibly proud moment.
What’s the biggest opportunity for you and your company in the next year?
We have grown very quickly in the past few years, and so this year is all about helping the team we have settle in together, continuing to deliver the high quality standard of work we have done for our clients ‘til now, and really get ourselves out there to meet new clients and partners to cement ourselves in the Netherlands and Europe. In the age of AI, we feel that telling human stories, working authentically and in many cases unaided by AI and making genuine connections with our clients and the stories they want to tell is a huge opportunity for us as so much slop and sub-par output surrounds us.
Can you explain your team’s creative process? What makes it unique?
We’re very collaborative with our clients. It’s not unique but I think there are many agencies who work with a ‘we know best’ mentality and therefore miss the great ideas that clients can bring. We listen, we include, and we make sure that there’s no exclusion from the process. We work without complex terminology or unfathomable process, so that it’s a clear, and enjoyable one to be a part of. We believe that good ideas can come from anyone so the whole project team will be immersed in the client from the start, we’ll check in regularly, we’ll share early, so that the team can bounce ideas off one another. When we get to presenting back to a client, we explain every decision, nothing is left to speculation or subjectivity.
How does your team remain inspired and motivated?
We make inspiration a shared, everyday part of how we work. Very practically, we regularly share ideas, references, and things that spark creativity, keeping everyone engaged and constantly thinking in new ways.
Because we have almost all specialisms in-house, from strategy through to illustration and film production, our team is exposed to a wide range of disciplines. This creates a naturally stimulating environment where people can learn from each other and see how ideas evolve across different channels, keeping the work exciting and meaningful.
We also give the whole team ownership from the outset. Everyone understands the client and the challenge, rather than dipping in and out at different stages. That sense of involvement and responsibility means people remain invested, motivated, and inspired to do their best work.
How has COVID-19 affected your company?
Practically, everyone getting set up with a great home working environment was of key importance, to ensure seamless working trasition. On the other side of COVID, safely and step-by-step, getting everyone back to the office together and managing the new normal of hybrid working has been key. Our team missed being next to one another, and so it’s been fantastic to have everyone together again. It’s done a good job of cutting out some of the needless travel, and ensuring that everything that needs to be online stays, however, getting people in a room together is unparallelled and that feels like a shared experience for us and our clients.
Which agencies do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
Nari’s work for Field Day really stood out. It’s sharp, playful, and built as an evolving identity that shifts alongside the festival itself. Rooted in the idea of a “reactive future,” the brand can even respond to changes in real time. It really cuts through in a space that’s already full of creativity.
What is one tip that you would give to other agencies looking to grow?
Don’t lose sight of what made you great in the first place. Growing an agency takes a lot of work, much of it not related to design, so ensure you have people who can deal with that side of things without disrupting your design talents.
How do you go about finding new clients/business? (Pitching, work with retainers, etc.)
Through a lot of hard-work and considered communication.
What’s your one big hope for the future of the industry?
No matter how advanced technology becomes, the focus remains firmly on human connection.
We believe the most effective work in the future will lean into that. Using elements like texture, warmth, and the imperfect, human touch (whether through hand-built sets, crafted storytelling, or bold, stirring use of colour) creates something that technology alone can’t replicate.
Ultimately, our hope is that the industry continues to prioritise work that feels real. Work that stops people in their tracks, sparks genuine emotion, and builds lasting connections again and again.
Can you share a defining moment in your company's journey that shaped its identity or direction?
Securing a contract with NPO (Nederlandse Publieke Omroep, the Dutch public broadcaster) was an incredible way to give meaningful, diverse work to our team for an incredible set of clients. That’s been a brilliant platform to build from and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed our partnership thus far.
How do you foster a culture of innovation and experimentation within your team?
We create space for both inspiration and open dialogue. As a team, we have a dedicated channel where people regularly share ideas, work, or examples that have impressed them which helps spark new thinking and keeps creativity flowing.
We also come together every other week for informal discussions around creativity. These sessions aren’t rigid; they’re designed to let conversations evolve naturally, often leading to unexpected ideas and perspectives.
Equally important is our mindset around tools and innovation. We actively encourage the team to stay open-minded and explore new approaches. Because we’re not constrained by heavy protocols, we’re able to experiment quickly: testing ideas, learning from them, and sharing successes across the team. This nimble way of working allows us to continuously refine and improve what we do.
What measures do you take to ensure diversity and inclusion are prioritised within your company?
When we need to fill a position we take on the most talented individual who applies. We have found that the world today, and the creative community especially, is so naturally diverse that you would have to go out of your way to not end up with a mix of people. The creative community is also a very welcoming non-judgemental arena and is usually at the forefront of diversity and inclusion.
Can you describe a project that challenged your team creatively and how you overcame any obstacles?
Every project brings its own challenges but clear and open communication combined with an understanding that everyone involved essentially wants the same thing, a successful conclusion to whatever the challenge is, always gets you there in the end.
How do you balance maintaining your company's unique creative voice while meeting the diverse needs of clients?
We root everything in a clear, shared methodology - one that’s best described as free-thinking, straight-talking, and creatively refreshing. It’s intentionally uncomplicated, which makes it easy for both our team and our clients to understand, adopt, and work through together.
This approach acts as a consistent foundation across every project, regardless of the client or sector. It helps us avoid generic ideas and empty business speak, ensuring that the work always feels distinctive and true to how we think and create.
At the same time, because the methodology is flexible rather than rigid, it allows us to adapt to each client’s specific needs. Our whole team is trained in it, so there’s a shared understanding of how to apply it in different contexts so we can tailor our approach without losing the essence of our creative voice.
What strategies do you employ to adapt to changes and trends in the industry while staying true to your company's values?
We ground everything we do in authentic storytelling. Rather than chasing trends for the sake of it, we focus on uncovering and expressing the real truths within a brand, with stories that are genuine, human, and rooted in who they are. This ensures that whatever direction the industry moves in, our work remains meaningful and consistent with our values.
In a fast-moving digital world, people are looking for connection, trust, and purpose. By telling stories that are down-to-earth and relatable, we create work that resonates emotionally while still delivering strong commercial outcomes for our clients.
We also work closely with our clients to continuously uncover and refine these truths, ensuring their brand narrative evolves in a way that feels natural rather than forced. This approach allows us to embrace new platforms, tools, and trends, while staying firmly anchored in authenticity because ultimately, how you tell your story can make or break your brand.
Can you share a memorable client success story that exemplifies your company's approach and impact?
Our Glasgow studio’s work with Walker’s Shortbread is a perfect example of both our approach and the results we deliver. From the outset, our D8 team immersed themselves in the challenges Walker’s were facing, treating every detail with care and respect. The solution we developed was thoughtful and nuanced, but always communicated in a clear, human way which is never preachy or weighed down by jargon. That balance defines D8: strong ideas, delivered with honesty and simplicity.
The results speak for themselves. Following our successful pitch, the rebrand we delivered helped Walker’s surpass £200 million in sales for the first time in 2024, and we’re proud to still be working together today.
In what ways do you invest in the professional development and growth of your team members?
We have a very open policy for people to try, train and experiment with courses or learning content that they’d like to. We have a budget per year and if an individual approaches us with something they’d like to explore or try, whether it’s in their specialism, or something that may fuel them creatively, we aim to help them with that.
How do you approach sustainability and ethical practices within your company's operations and projects?
People are at the heart of everything we do, and they come first in every project we take on. We’re always looking for ways our work can have a more positive impact on the people and communities it touches.
Can you discuss a time when your company had to pivot or innovate in response to unforeseen challenges, and what lessons did you learn from that experience?
Covid and/or a difficult economic climate requires a lot of big decisions to be made quickly. The biggest lesson that we have learned so far is that we’re maybe a bit smarter than we sometimes give ourselves credit for, we seem to be good at reading the zeitgeist, certainly significantly better than the politicians of the world.
Do you have any websites, books or resources that you would recommend?
A generic answer but anything that broadens the mind and allows you to understand humans better is always worthwhile. No matter what project you are working on you are still one set of humans trying to speak to another set so the better you understand the way humans work the more you will be able to connect. In regards to creative inspiration, by the very nature of what we do we are naturally inquisitive and find inspiration everywhere in the world.
